Mobile home skirting

ABSTRACT

Mobile home skirting is disclosed comprising a top track, a bottom track and a plurality of panels in said tracks, each track having a front wall and a back wall, .[.each panel having a major portion forming a front wall thereof and a minor portion forming a back wall thereof,.]. said panels arranged in edge overlapping and independently vertically slidable relationship to each other when disposed in said tracks with the front and back walls of the panels in contact, respectively, with the front and back walls of said tracks, the front wall of each panel and the front wall of .[.each.]. .Iadd.at least one .Iaddend.track .[.both.]. being formed with mutually engageable locking means for retaining said panels in said tracks, the back wall of each panel and the back wall of each track .[.both.]. being formed for free engagement relative to each other, said panels being vertically slidable in said tracks when the bottom track moves vertically in respect to the top track on account of weather changes, each panel being vertically slidable independently of the other panels when said panels are disposed in said tracks for installation or disassembly of said panels in respect to said tracks, the front wall of each panel capable of being flexed in respect to the front wall of .[.each.]. .Iadd.the respective .Iaddend.track so as to release said locking means to permit removal of said panel from the front side of said mobile home skirting.

This application is a reissue application of my original applicationSer. No. 774,845, filed Nov. 12, 1968, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,571,998..Iaddend.

My invention relates to mobile homes.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of improvements inmobile home skirting by which simplification is accomplished inapplication of mobil home skirting to mobile homes with consequentreduction in labor costs.

The foregoing object of my invention and its advantages will becomeapparent during the course of the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a frontelevational view of mobile home skirting embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of said embodiment;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are, respectively, front elevational and top plan views ofparts of said embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, 5 generally designates saidembodiment of mobile home skirting which comprises overlapped verticalpanels 6 and top and bottom tracks 8 and 9, respectively. Each panel 6has a flat main body portion 10 spaced apart from two inwardly pressedflat opposite end portions 11 and 12 parallel to said main body portion10. The portion 10 which is a major portion of the panel 6 forms a frontwall thereof and the portion 12 which is a minor portion of the panel 6forms a back wall thereof. The end portion 11 is part of a male end onthe panel 6 and the end portion 12 is part of a female end on the panel6. The male end is formed of two bends having obtuse included angles andis received inside of a female end of an adjacent panel by edgeoverlapping, i.e. laying on edge of one panel upon on edge of another.The female end is formed of three bends having obtuse included anglesinto a pocket which receives the male end of an adjacent panel byoverlapping and wraps around behind the same. The panels 6 when notretained in said tracks 8 and 9, are thus freely moveable face to facetoward and away from each other. The portions 11 and 12 of overlappedpanels are in face contacting contiguous relationship. Each panel 6 alsoincludes a central rib formed of four bends having obtuse includedangles and which includes an inwardly pressed flat portion 13 parallelto said main body portion and disposed in a common plane with the endportions 11 and 12. The back wall 12 of each panel and the back wall ofeach track are both formed for free engagement relative to each other,i.e. they have .[.not.]. .Iadd.no .Iaddend.mutually engageable lockingmeans therebetween. The front wall 10 of each panel 6 has top and bottomlocking means 14 and 15, respectively, in the form of severedprotuberances outwardly punched from the main body portion 10 whichlock, respectively, with the front walls of the top and bottom tacks 8and 9. The locking means 14 and 15 are arranged in top and bottom pairson each panel 6 and operate downwardly and upwardly, respectively,against the front edges of their respective tracks. The top track 8 hasspaced-apart front and back walls forming an elongated cavity in whichthe panels 6 can slide upwardly when the bottom track 9 rises from frostin the ground. The front and back walls of the top track 8 are joinedtogether and abut each other at the upper end of the track and saidfront wall of the top track 8 is doubly bent below said upper end so asto be spring biased toward said back wall and against the front wall ofany panel disposed in said top track 8. The front wall of the top track8 has an inwardly and reversely bent free end 16 which coacts with thedownwardly acting top panel locking means 14. The rear wall of the toptrack 8 has an outwardly flared end 17 which serves as a pilot forinsertion of the panel 6 into the top track 8. The bottom track 9 hasspaced apart front and back walls forming a cavity which receives thepanels 6. The front wall of the bottom track 9 has an inwardly andreversely bent end 20 which coacts with the upwardly acting bottom panellocking means 15. The rear wall of the bottom track 9 has an outwardlyflared end 21 which serves as a pilot for insertion of the panel 6 intothe bottom track 9. The bottom track 9 is provided with drain openings22 in the front wall thereof at the junction with the bottom wallthereof. Said embodiment 5 of mobile home skirting is applied byattaching the top track 8 to the mobile home and bottom track 9 tofooting beneath the mobile home. The panels 6 are then installed eachone first into the top track 8 and then into the bottom track 9 and oneafter the other in edge overlapping fashion because the panels 6 areinstalled by laying one over the other their installation proceedsrapidly without requiring any bending in the field. Once in placeoverlapped and in the tracks the panels 6 are locked securely againstdislodgment but nevertheless can be removed easily for alterations orrepairs because they are installed by laying one over the other andbecause the main body porton 10 of each panel 6 can be flexed by pushinginwardly upon the same to unlock first the locking means 15 from the end20 and then the locking means 14 from the end 16. Said embodiment 5 isself-ventilating via the path upwardly behind the main body portions 10,into the top track 8, and downwardly in front of the flat supportingportions 11, 12 and 13.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by my inventionimprovements in mobile home skirting in which the object hereinabove setforth together with many thoroughly practical advantages has beensuccessfully achieved. While a preferred embodiment of my invention hasbeen shown and described it is to be understood that variations andchanges may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of myinvention as defined by the appended claims. .Iadd.

It will thus be further seen that there has been disclosed a skirtassembly for parked house trailers comprising an upper panel section(front wall of said upper track 8) adapted for attachment to the trailernear floor level (see the bottom edge of the parked house trailer shownin section in FIG. 2) in depending relation thereto (FIG. 2 shows saidfront wall hanging down from the parked house trailer) and of a widthless than the height of the trailer floor above ground level (the heightor vertical width of said front wall can be seen from FIG. 2 to be lessthan the distance between the concrete and said bottom edge of theparked house trailer) and a plurality of relatively narrow panels 6 intelescoping relation to said upper panel section and in dependingrelation thereto; retaining means (back wall of said upper track 8)slidably retaining said narrow panels 6 in said telescoping relation tosaid upper panel section adjacent the lower edge thereof and behind thepanel section and interengaging means (end portions 11 and 12)connecting contiguous edges of adjacent narrow panels 6, saidinterengaging means permitting relative vertical movement betweenadjacent panels 6, whereby the vertical overall width of the assembly isvariable along the length of the assembly.

I claim:
 1. Mobile home skirting comprising a top track, a bottom trackand a plurality of panels in said tracks, each track having a front walland a back wall, each panel having a major portion forming a front wallthereof and a minor portion forming a back wall thereof, said panelsarranged in edge-overlapping and independently vertically slidablerelationship to each other when disposed in said tracks with the frontand back walls of the panels in contact, respectively, with the frontand back walls of said tracks, the front wall of each panel and thefront wall of each track both being formed with mutually engageablelocking means for retaining said panels in said tracks, the back wall ofeach panel and the back wall of each track both being formed for freeengagement relative to each other, said panels being vertically slidablein said tracks when the bottom track moves vertically in respect to thetop track on account of weather changes, each panel being verticallyslidable independently of the other panels when said panels are disposedin said tracks for installation or disassembly of said panels in respectto said tracks, the front wall of each panel capable of being flexed inrespect to the front wall of each track so as to release each lockingmeans to permit removal of said panel from the front side of said mobilehome skirting.
 2. Mobile home skirting comprising a track having a frontwall and a back wall and at least one panel in said track, said panelhaving a major portion forming a front wall thereof and a minor portionforming a back wall thereof, said panel disposed in said track with thefront and back walls thereof in contact, respectively, with the frontand back walls of said track, the front wall of said panel and the frontwall of said track both being formed with mutually engageable lockingmeans for retaining said panel in said track, the back wall of saidpanel and the back wall of said track both being formed for freeengagement relative to each other, said panel being vertically slidablein respect to said track for installation or disassembly of said panelin respect to said track, the front wall of said panel capable of beingflexed in respect to the front wall of said track so as to release saidlocking means to permit removal of said panel from the front side ofsaid mobile home skirting, the front and back walls of said track beingjoined together and abutting each other at one end of said track, saidfront wall being doubly bent at locations spaced from said one end ofsaid track so as to be spring biased toward said back wall and againstthe front wall of said panel.
 3. Mobile home skirting as claimed inclaim 2, the back wall of each track formed so as to serve as a pilotmeans to facilitate insertion of said panels into said track. .Iadd. 4.Mobile home skirting comprising a top track, a bottom track and aplurality of panels in said tracks, each track having a front wall and aback wall, each panel having a portion thereof forming a front wall anda portion thereof forming a back wall, said panels arranged in edgeoverlapping and independently vertically slidable relationship to eachother when disposed in said tracks with the front and back walls thereofin contact, respectively, with the front and back walls of said tracks,the front wall of each panel and the front wall of at least one trackbeing formed with mutually engageable locking means for retaining saidpanels in said tracks, the back wall of each panel and the back wall ofeach track being formed for free engagement relative to each other, saidpanels being vertically slidable in said tracks when the bottom trackmoves vertically in respect to the top track on account of weatherchanges, each panel being vertically slidable independently of the otherpanels when said panels are disposed in said tracks for installation ordisassembly of said panels in respect to said tracks, the front wall ofeach panel capable of being flexed in respect to the front wall of therespective track so as to release said locking means to permit removalof said panel from the front side of said mobile home skirting..Iaddend. .Iadd.
 5. Mobile home skirting comprising a track having afront wall and a back wall and at least one panel in said track, saidpanel having a portion thereof forming a front wall and a portionthereof forming a back wall, said panel disposed in said track with thefront and back walls thereof in contact, respectively, with the frontand back walls of said track, the back wall of said panel and the backwall of said track both being formed for free engagement relative toeach other, said panel being vertically slidable in respect to saidtrack for installation or disassenbly of said panel in respect to saidtrack, the front and back walls of said track being joined together andabutting each other at one end of said track, said front wall beingdoubly bent at locations spaced from said one end of said track so as tobe spring biased toward said back wall and against the front wall ofsaid panel. .Iaddend.